Forillon National Park: Gaspe Cliffs, Whales and Trails

Forillon is Parks Canada’s park at the tip of the Gaspé Peninsula: almost 245 square kilometres of cliffs, forest and sea, with a peak adult gate of C$10 from 25 June to 1 September 2026. The walk that actually uses the peninsula is Les Graves, 15.2 km return from Grande-Grave to Land’s End. Whale boats leave that same harbour from 1 June to 23 October; Parks Canada names the boats and doesn’t publish a fare.

The mix-up that wastes a booking is inland. Parc national de la Gaspésie is a Sépaq park in the Chic-Chocs. Forillon is the national park on the water, past the town of Gaspé, on Highway 132. Same peninsula, different operator, different gate, different campground - and it’s the water one this page is about.

Two booths, and the inland park this is not

Parks Canada’s own plan-your-visit page puts Forillon 770 km from Québec City and 350 km from the New Brunswick border. The directions block on that same page also writes 700 km from Québec and 400 km from Rimouski. This guide uses the 770 km figure from the intro and doesn’t pretend the two numbers are one measurement. Either way, you’re not squeezing this into a day out from the walled city. The Quebec province guide already treats the Gaspé as a trip of its own.

You arrive on Highway 132 East. There are two toll booths, and they’re not interchangeable if you only budget one parking lot. South is 2286 Grande-Grève Boulevard (Grande-Grave, Les Graves, the whale dock). North is 1440 Cap-des-Rosiers Boulevard (Cap-des-Rosiers lighthouse, Du Banc, Cap-Bon-Ami). Phone for both is 418-368-5505.

Michel-Pouliot Gaspé Airport sits 43 km from the South Area entrance. Parks Canada also points at Orleans Express coaches and RÉGÎM regional transport. That isn’t a substitute for a car once you’re inside the park: the north and south areas are a drive apart, and Les Graves doesn’t start at the arrivals hall.

If a listing says “Gaspésie national park” and shows alpine lakes, you’ve opened the wrong tab. Forillon is the one with a harbour.

Les Graves to Land’s End

From Grande-Grave, Les Graves is 15.2 km return, 4 to 5 hours, 532 metres of climbing. Parks Canada rates it moderate. You walk woods and overgrown fields above coves, and with luck you see marine mammals, bears or porcupines. At Cap-Gaspé you reach the lighthouse on a 95-metre cliff. The light is solar-powered and automated. The trail then drops to the bottom of the cliff, which Parks Canada calls Land’s End.

That full out-and-back is a morning, not a pull-off. If you parked further out at L’Anse-aux-Amérindiens, the gravel road version is 6.4 km return (1.5 to 2.5 hours, 172 m) and the trail version is 8 km return (2 to 3 hours, 310 m). Cyclists are allowed only on the gravel between L’Anse-aux-Amérindiens and Cap-Gaspé. Hikers walk on the left on the multi-use stretches, facing bikes, and hikers have priority.

The other viewpoint people confuse with this walk is Mont-Saint-Alban. The observation tower sits at 285 metres. From Cap-Bon-Ami the first kilometre is steep; from Petit-Gaspé the slope is gentler. From Grande-Grave it’s a 7.2 km loop, or 5 km to the tower and back. Do the tower if you want the peninsula from above. Do Les Graves if you want to stand at the last rock.

A short, different outing sits on Route 132 between the two areas: La Chute, a 1 km loop to a 17-metre waterfall, 30 to 45 minutes, with stairs. Don’t spend your only Forillon day on it and call the park done.

Whales from Grande-Grave

The whale product Parks Canada actually lists is a concession, not a ranger boat. Croisières Baie de Gaspé Inc. leaves Grande-Grave harbour at 2448 A Grande-Grève Boulevard, daily from 1 June to 23 October 2026. The outing is 2.5 hours. A waterproof suit is provided; bring warm clothes anyway.

Three boats, three moods:

• Narval III - 47 passengers plus two crew, toilets, accessible to people with reduced mobility.
• Rocher Le Vieux - 12 passengers. Children 12 and under, or anyone under 41 kg, are not allowed. Parks Canada says the individual fare matches the Narval III. It still does not print the number.
• Cap Aventure 1 - a Zodiac, also 12 passengers.

Parks Canada names white-sided dolphins, humpback whales and blue whales, plus the odd basking shark or sunfish. It does not quote a sightings rate and it does not sell you a guarantee. For rates, clock times and cancellations it sends you to the operator. Cruise passengers still pay park admission when it applies.

That last line is the one people miss in the Strong Pass window. Free gate is not a free boat.

A second cruise, Croisière Forillon with Griffon Aventure on the Mathilde, runs the north coast from Cap-des-Rosiers harbour, 13 June to 28 September, about two hours, three outings a day. Parks Canada sells it as cliffs, seals, seabirds, geology and optional mackerel - not as the whale trip. Booking is essential. Again, no fare on the park page.

If what you wanted was the St Lawrence estuary version with belugas, that’s Tadoussac, and it’s a different park. Our whale-watching guide covers that coast. Don’t paste those prices onto Grande-Grave.

What the gate costs in 2026

These are the walk-up admission lines on Parks Canada’s Forillon fees page, checked 15 August 2026. Youth 17 and under are free at the gate. Camping, the pool, firewood and the boats are not.

A seasonal adult pass is C$48.25, valid 30 May to 13 October 2026 only. An early-bird seasonal adult pass was C$38.75, pre-sold 25 May to 25 June 2026 - that sales window is closed by mid-August, so treat it as history for this season, not a desk product you can still buy. The Parks Canada Discovery Pass is C$83.50 adult if Forillon is one stop on a longer national-park run.

Canada Strong Pass still covers admission, and takes 25% off Parks Canada camping, from 19 June to 7 September 2026. Parking, reservation fees and the concession boats stay charged.

Overnight, the published one-night lines are C$34 unserviced, C$40 with electricity, C$43.75 with electricity and water. A MicrOcube or Ôasis is C$147.50; an equipped oTENTik is C$162.50. Firewood is C$8.75 an armful. Backcountry is C$15 a person a night; a lean-to is C$18.75. The reservation fee is C$11.50 online or C$13.50 by phone.

The Recreation Centre pool is a heated swimming pool, adults 17 and over C$10.75, open 24 June to 2 September, 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. It is not a hot spring. Don’t budget it as one.

North area, south area, and the closed houses

South camping is Petit-Gaspé (19 June to 12 October 2026). North camping is Des-Rosiers (29 May to 12 October) and Cap-Bon-Ami (19 June to 7 September). If you want the whale dock at dawn, sleep south. If you want Cap-Bon-Ami at sunrise, sleep north. Driving around to “just pop over” eats the morning you thought you had.

Grande-Grave is the heritage harbour, and it is only half open. Les Parages, the 2 km loop through the Gavey-Bartlett houses, has been closed until further notice since 1 May 2024. The bulletin was still on the park’s important-bulletins list in April 2026. Parks Canada says Mont-Saint-Alban, the eastern bit of Les Parages, and Les Graves stay open. Respect the signs. The houses you can still enter in season are Hyman & Sons General Store, Dolbel-Roberts House and Blanchette House - those hours are on the 2026 table, and they are not the closed sector.

Pets are welcome on a leash on trails, beaches and day-use areas. They are not allowed in the buildings. Several trails here are pieces of the International Appalachian Trail, which is a nice fact and a poor reason to start Les Crêtes (33.2 km return) on a first afternoon.

Toll booths in 2026 open from 8 a.m. through 9 October, then from 9 a.m. on 10-12 October. Parks Canada does not publish a closing time on that table, so this page doesn’t invent one. The park itself stays accessible year-round; trails are not maintained once the season kit comes down, and both area gates shut after the first snow.

Lock these in before the drive

Do these in order, before Highway 132 turns into a very long dead end.

1. A bed that matches the booth. Petit-Gaspé or a Gaspé room for Les Graves and the whale dock. Des-Rosiers or Cap-Bon-Ami for the north cliffs. July and August rooms on the peninsula go early; the park does not hold a motel for you.
2. The boat, if you want one. Book Croisières Baie de Gaspé for whales, or Griffon Aventure for the north-coast run. Parks Canada will not sell you the seat and will not quote the price.
3. The gate math. Inside the Strong Pass window you still pay the boat, the reservation fee and the pool. Outside it, budget the C$10 adult peak line or a seasonal / Discovery Pass if the rest of the trip is Parks Canada.
4. Les Parages. Assume the Gavey-Bartlett loop is still closed unless the bulletin has been pulled. Build Grande-Grave around Les Graves and the store, not around a house tour that isn’t running.
5. The last grocery stop. Gaspé town is the last useful supermarket. The park has picnic tables and a seasonal café window. It is not a place to discover you forgot dinner.

Confirm hours and fees on parks.canada.ca the week you travel. The 2026 tables were live on 15 August; they won’t stay frozen because this page did.